Summer Lunch Program Announced For Fort Smith Students

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School is out for the summer, but local schools are still going to feed local students.

If residents live in Fort Smith and want their child to have a free breakfast or lunch, below is a list of schools serving breakfast starting Monday (June 9th). Breakfast will be available from 7:45 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

All meals are free to any child 18 years of age or younger at the schools listed below.
Parents may eat breakfast with their child for $2.

Morrison Elementary School

Pike Elementary School

Sunnymede Elementary School

Spradling Elementary School

Tilles Elementary Schools

Lunch will go from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at no cost to any child 18 years of age or younger at the schools listed below. Parents can eat lunch with their child for $3.25.

23 comments

America’s richest family contributes almost none of their personal wealth to the family’s charity, according to a new report by the Walmart 1 Percent.

The Waltons are the wealthiest family in the United States and control a majority of shares in Walmart. Six members of the family are among the 85 wealthiest individuals in the world, a group whose wealth is greater than half of the world’s population.

While other extremely wealthy philanthropists, such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, contribute over 25 percent of their net worth to their charitable efforts, members of the Walton family have given less than 0.04 percent to their family foundation. Meanwhile, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, ordinary middle-income Americans contribute six percent of their income to charity.

The report is based on an analysis of 23 years of tax returns from the Walton Family Foundation and outlines just how little members of the Walton family have contributed to their family’s charitable foundation over that period:

Rob Walton, chairman of Walmart’s board of directors, has not made a single contribution to the Foundation.

Alice Walton has not given a single dollar to the Foundation.

Jim Walton made one personal contribution of $3 million to the Walton Family Foundation, more than 15 years ago.

The total contributions of Rob, Jim, Alice, and Christy Walton, and their family holding company to the Walton Family Foundation amount to $58.49 million, equivalent to:
•0.04% of their net worth
•Less than one week’s worth of the Walmart dividends they will receive this year
•Less than the estimated value of Rob Walton’s collection of vintage sports cars

Instead of contributing their own money, the Walton family relies on charitable lead annuity trusts (CLATs) to fund the foundation. The report suggests that the primary role of the foundation is not to give charitably, but rather to increase the family’s personal wealth through tax avoidance schemes. Using CLATs, a previous report released by Americans for Tax Fairness indicated the family successfully avoids an estimated $3 billion per year in estate taxes:

“CLATs are a type of trust invented by financial planners to take advantage of loopholes in the tax code with the objective of minimizing gift and estate tax liability when family wealth passes between generations. Among financial planners serving wealthy clients it is widely understood that, under the right conditions, a CLAT can be used to completely eliminate – or ‘zero out’ – estate and gift taxes on the inter-generational transfer of wealth.”

Members of OUR Walmart, the organization of current and former employees calling for higher wages and better working conditions at Walmart, have questioned why they must rely on food stamps when they work at the most profitable company in the country, owned by one of the world’s richest families. The gap between the Walton family and its employees is staggering. Last year, for example, employees at one store in Canton, Ohio, gained national attention after hosting a holiday canned food drive for each other. Without adequate hours and wages, many Walmart associates are forced to rely on taxpayer-funded assistance such as food stamps and Medicaid.

As part of their ongoing effort to stand up to Walmart’s greed, this week members of OUR Walmart will be going on strike in cities across the country to bring attention to the company’s retaliation against employees that have spoken out against income inequality. As documented in our 2013 report, many employees that have spoken out for better working conditions at Walmart have faced retaliation, including being outright fired.

As controllers of the majority of Walmart shares, the Waltons are in a position to provide hourly associates among the company’s 1.4 million employees a much-needed pay increase. Despite their extreme wealth, the Waltons have ignored calls from Walmart employees to provide adequate hours and a minimum annual compensation of $25,000.

While Walmart hourly associates struggle to make ends meet, the company’s board approved significant compensation packages for top executives this year. A Walmart CEO earns 1,034 times the average workers’ salary, the highest CEO-to-worker pay ratio among Fortune 500 companies. Incredibly, Walmart’s new president and CEO, Doug McMillon, recently claimed he’s just another associate, despite being compensated $9.56 million last year. As long as the Waltons continue to ignore the cries of Walmart associates in favor of increasing their own personal wealth, employees at the world’s largest retailer will continue to be forced to take bolder action to make their voices heard.

Arnold Fudpucker

How about all those grossly overpaid professional athletes? How about all those grossly overpaid staffers at the VA? Those cats are knocking down 200 and 300 grand a year for sitting on their democrats. How much have you contributed? Hey, I think it is obscene what these people are paid but trying to force or redistribute wealth is even more obscene because of the people who are wanting to force it.

If you can’t feed ’em don’t breed ’em by the way. Take responsibility for your own actions or inaction.

Elaphas

And what percentage have your lovers Obama and Biden given? Other rich liberals? Research that and report it if you dare. In the meantime, tell us about the Koch brothers, those conservative rich guys who just gave $25 million to the United Negro College Fund and have given hundreds of millions in support of other causes. You won’t will you. It doesn’t support your agenda, does it? Anyway, the end is nearing…

Sarah 1

The Post has been criticized since the beginning of Rupert Murdoch’s ownership for sensationalism, blatant advocacy and conservative bias. In 1980, the Columbia Journalism Review opined that “the New York Post is no longer merely a journalistic problem. It is a social problem – a force for evil.

Perhaps the most serious allegation against the Post is that it is willing to contort its news coverage to suit Murdoch’s business needs, in particular that the paper has avoided reporting anything that is unflattering to the government of the People’s Republic of China, where Murdoch has invested heavily in satellite television.

Critics say that the Post allows its editorial positions to shape its story selection and news coverage. The POST executive editor has responded that the Post “broke the elitist media stranglehold on the national agenda.”

Mr. Murdoch also owns FOXNEWS.com which he controls with an iron fist.

Arnold Fudpucker

Really, is this what the DNC talking points memo said? And who would you suggest? Certainly you cannot with good conscience suggest any of the left wing socialist media types like ABC, MSNBC, CBS or CNN.

Sarah 1

First of all Arnie, I don’t agree that ABC and CBS are left wing stations but I don’t view them so it is neither here nor there. For resource material there are non-partisan sites such as reuters, BBC, PBS, factcheck.org., alternet, and The Real News.

They are not beholden to advertisers and their track record is excellent.
They can also be held liable for slander or libel for misinformation. That is the key to a truthful resource.

Arnie did someone abuse you as a child? You seem so irritable and in pain? If your misery comes from the Democrats, just know someday your guy will be in power again. Maybe you guys should have contained Bush 43 a bit more? It turned the nation against his party as you are no doubt well aware since he is not invited to RNC meetings, etc. Even Jeb know’s his brother is his greatest liability in running in 2016. The RNC tries their best to keep him hidden away like they are so ashamed of him. I really like his paintings. Who knew he was such a talented artist?

I am repulsed at you using the term breeding for children. We breed cows, horses, etc. but not little children. I think that is going too far in your ridicule.

Arnold Fudpucker

If you can’t feed them then don’t breed them! This is a deliberate move by the gubbamint to make people more dependent on the gubbamint thereby increasing the gubbamint’s control over the ignorant masses.

Using this “for the children” scheme is as old as the cry racism at everything.

Bob Gnarly

If we are “being set-up for something much bigger” it is certainly not a one party effort. In the wake of the 9/11 attack President Bush did and said nothing regarding the border. The right wing has only made an issue of it during the Obama presidency.

If there is a conspiracy, and I’m not saying there isn’t, then who is behind it? When did it start? I don’t recall any real effort to do anything about illegal immigration by either party.

It seems to me that the largest benefactors of illegal immigration are the businesses who have paid low wages to illegals for decades. This has served to water down the wages for the American laborer. In my mind that would make it more likely to be a right wing effort.

Arnold Fudpucker

Here goes with the circular argument left wing vs right wing… in terms of labor cost you can look at the abnormally high cost of labor and degree of disruption in the country because of the unions. (Yet you see all those cats going to Wally World because they want to pay as little as possible!!!) That is one of the big reasons these companies go to mexico.

The expectancy of people in this country is too high in all arenas. How can you justify $15.00 an hour for someone to turn burgers and ask if you want fries with your order. Equally, how can you justify the obscene salaries at the top of the corporate structure? And let’s not forget how out of whack the salaries and benefits are for gubbamint workers as compared to the private sector. Did you get a look at the VA salaries? Unbelievable what they get for doing nothing. Don’t get me started on pro athletes. Theirs is the biggest waste of money there is. Ought to be a additional special sur-tax on pro athletes. All this going on and look who gets caught in the middle!

Here again I find cause to promote the idea of term limits at the fed level.

Bob Gnarly

@Arnold F.:

We certainly agree that things need to be changed. I also agree that we, as a country, are hypocrites when it comes to our shopping habits. The vast majority of people buy the cheapest product without regard to the country of origin. I think Obama was elected because he gave us hope that many positive changes could and would be made. In some cases I feel that he has succeeded, in others not so much.

One change I think we’d all like to see is the minimization, limitation, or complete elimination of lobbyists. They are a primary source of corruption in our government. It was my understanding that this was to be part of “the change” and if this situation has improved (for anyone other than the lobbyists themselves) I haven’t seen it.

The Supreme Court ruling (and the right wing ideal according to Mitt Romney during his last campaign) that “corporations are people too” thereby endowing them with the right to free speech which, in turn, was interpreted to mean that they can contribute any amount to political campaigns is abominable and not at all what was intended by the founders of our government. This needs to be stopped. I’m pretty sure it was the Bush court appointees who swung this vote and the Obama appointees who dissented. Hence my left leaning stance here, especially at this time, because I think this should be reversed ASAP.

While partisanship to the detriment of the greater good certainly exists on both the left and right, again, it seems to me that it is more so on the right. With people like Sen. Mitch Mcconnell making statements to the effect that their number one goal was to see the president fail its hard to believe that they are looking out for the best interests of the people. The repeated attempts by House Republicans to defund Obama Care AFTER it had been made into law amount to gridlock for the sake of gridlock. Their time would have been much better spent, in my opinion, trying to improve the law, especially in light of the fact that they did not have the votes to accomplish their goal and surely realized that after the first few attempts.

As to term limits, this country is so deeply divided at this time that I doubt any such thing could ever be agreed upon on a national level and that is the only way the concept would ever work. State by state term limits usually wind up costing those states seniority and membership on important panels and such. I would certainly be willing to consider some form of term limitation. Something certainly needs to change.

Arnold Fudpucker

@Sarah The DNC kool-aid must be particularly strong today. If you think your so-called non-partisan sites aren’t biased then you must have had a double helping of today’s kool-aid. PBS in particular has a long history of being a left winged liberal rag. And No, no one abused me as a child. Rather, I was taught a sense of responsibility which is something you haven’t learned yet. Don’t try to tie me in with the repubs either. If you have been paying attention I have long supported term limits at the federal level. I don’t trust either party anymore but have more disdain for the demoncrats and what they represent.
You can have all the repulsion you want at the breeding term. From what I have seen the pumping out of kids by some of these leeches isn’t anything more than breeding. Check the listing of birth announcements and tell me what has happened to the family unit in this country? It’s time people wake up to what is going on with all this illegal invasion and subjugating gimmicks the gubbamint deals out to the ignorant masses. It may not bother you to have to support all these leeches but it bothers a lot of people greatly and that number grows each day.